On social media, you may have seen videos about or of the political instability happening in France. To which one might wonder, What caused such a dramatic show of dissatisfaction?
On September 8th, the former Prime Minister of France Francois Bayrou’s government lost a confidence vote in the French National Assembly, as a result of their budget proposal for the 2026 year. The budget proposal was met by opposition from both the Right and the Left Wing parties because it included cutting 44 Billion Euros in government spending from public holidays, freezing social spending, and social security spending. This led to an overwhelming loss of confidence in Bayrou’s government followed by his removal from Office. Francois Bayrou also happened to be the 4th Prime Minister of France to be removed in less than a year. In fact, Bayrou’s predecessors Michel Barnier and Gabriel Attal both fell out of power due to failing a confidence vote and losing parliamentary majority respectively.
The French Parliament wasn’t the only one against Bayrou. On September 18th 2025 a coalition of trade unions led hundreds of thousands of people to participate in nationwide demonstrations as dissatisfaction rates towards the French Government, soared higher than previously thought imaginable. The coalition included transportation workers, teachers, and other civil servants, practically brought the whole country to a stop. The French Interior Ministry estimates around 500,000 people participated in these demonstrations whereas trade unions claimed over a million people partook in the demonstrations. As talks with current Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu are inconclusive, mass demonstrations are scheduled to continue starting October 2nd.
Underlying Causes
- France faces extreme economic pressure as their national debt exceeds the European Union’s 3% limit. In order to combat this problem, the French government proposes spending cuts which are being heavily resisted by the French people.
- French President Emmanuel Macron’s snap election in 2024 resulted in no political party holding a majority in parliament, resulting in struggles at passing legislation.
As a result of everything previously mentioned, clashes between everyday civilians and police are becoming more frequent with entire streets of Paris being covered in tear gas and fire, turning Paris into something out of an action movie instead of the “Romantic City” it was once known as.